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August WNBA schedule analysis: Push for the playoffs

By Ben Dull

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 22: the Las Vegas Aces huddle after the game against the Indiana Fever on July 22, 2018 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 22: the Las Vegas Aces huddle after the game against the Indiana Fever on July 22, 2018 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The WNBA playoffs are just around the corner. The Seattle Storm kick off the month with a three and a half game lead atop the standings, but there is still plenty of time for the entire playoff picture to change by the end of the regular season.

One last time, let’s run through this month’s schedule with the playoffs right around the corner (in case you missed it, schedule breakdowns for May, June and July):

Atlanta

Games this month: 8 (4 home, 4 road)

Back-to-backs: none

Notes: Atlanta’s offense has been humming of late. How much of it is real? We’ve all heard the saying that defense travels. Nobody will want to see this team come playoff time. Even if they outside shooting isn’t always there, this team still has Tiffany Hayes and Angel McCoughtry — two players that can completely take over a game at any point. Monique Billings has emerged in the frontcourt to provide solid minutes behind Jessica Breland, and she’s continuing to flash more and more on the offensive end as she sees more floor time.

Chicago Sky

Games this month: 7 (3 home, 4 road)

Back-to-backs: 8/18 @ IND, 8/19 vs. IND

Notes: Their team defense has been a bit of an adventure. But Stefanie Dolson stays solid inside. When she’s able to stay out of foul trouble, they have the personnel to fly around the perimeter to hit their rotations and force teams into tough shots. They have that back-to-back against the last place Fever just sitting there. But unless a few teams really fall off the map, they’re unlikely to get enough help to crawl back into the playoff hunt.

Connecticut Sun

Games this month: 8 (6 home, 2 road)

Back-to-backs: none

Notes: The onus is on the Sun to finish strong, but a four-in-seven stretch is always tough no matter where the games are being played. Jonquel Jones still isn’t right to the point where she’s approaching 30 minutes a night on a regular basis as the same two-way force we saw last season. The ball needs to start going in the basket more for Jasmine Thomas, too. Curt Miller can mix and match plenty on the wing and toggle between playing big and small; this team isn’t going anywhere without getting more on offense from their floor general and top perimeter defender.

Dallas Wings

Games this month: 8 (3 home, 5 road)

Back-to-backs: 8/11 @ ATL, 8/12 @ WAS

Notes: We’ve heard the same points all season: It’d be nice to get Skylar Diggins-Smith a little more rest, and we aren’t totally sure what they are when Liz Cambage rests. The immediate hope in acquiring Tayler Hill is that she can be a more reliable source of offense and initiate some drive-and-kick sequences to occasionally set others up when their stars are resting. Dallas has a tough road back-to-back followed by a trip to Connecticut two days later. But first: A Thursday game in Indiana without Liz Cambage (suspension), unless her seventh technical of the season is rescinded by the league office.

Indiana Fever

Games this month: 8 (4 home, 4 road)

Back-to-backs: 8/10 @ PHX, 8/11 @ LV; 8/18 vs. CHI, 8/19 @ CHI

Notes: Give the Fever credit. This is not March in the NBA, where teams at the bottom deliberately try to lose games. Indiana has been frisky, especially with Cappie Pondexter in the mix as another strong veteran voice in that locker room. Given how tight the playoff race is, the Fever are likely to play spoiler for at least one team, if not more. No. 8 overall pick Victoria Vivians is looking like a home run at that slot. Look for her to continue to strengthen her playmaking chops from the wing in addition to her lights-out three-point shooting.

Las Vegas Aces

Games this month: 9 (5 home, 4 road)

Back-to-backs: none

Notes: Moriah Jefferson continuing to grow in confidence coming off of knee surgery could give them the spark needed to stay hot down the stretch, perhaps similar to the All-Star-level production Los Angeles got from Odyssey Sims when she was inserted into their starting lineup in 2017. The Aces don’t have any more back-to-backs on tap, but they play every other day all month with one three-day break after their August 11 game at home against Indiana.

Los Angeles Sparks

Games this month: 8 (3 home, 5 road)

Back-to-backs: 8/8 @ NY, 8/9 @ ATL

Notes: Is there any better illustration of the year-over-year growth of the league than the Sparks? After going 16-1 at home last season, LA finds themselves currently on a five-game losing streak at home. They’ll get a shot at fixing that Thursday night against Minnesota before closing the season with five of seven on the road.

Minnesota Lynx

Games this month: 9 (4 home, 5 road)

Back-to-backs: 8/2 @ LA, 8/3 @ SEA

Notes: Here they are, after the 3-6 start and bevy of questions surrounding it, sitting at 15-10 in the three spot as play resumes coming out of the All-Star break. The team announced Monday that Erlana Larkins had been signed for the remainder of the season. They’ll need Larkins to give them enough at the four to help manage Rebekkah Brunson’s minutes the rest of the way.

New York Liberty

Games this month: 9 (4 home, 5 road)

Back-to-backs: 8/14 @ LA, 8/15 @ LV

Notes: The Liberty are all but done, starting out six and a half games behind the eight spot with nine to play. New York’s ownership situation and how they’ve been treated is frustrating on all fronts. They never had a real shot at making changes to their roster (if they wanted to) beyond using their draft picks. Another 10-game winning streak isn’t walking through that door, the saying goes, I think.

Phoenix Mercury

Games this month: 7 (5 home, 2 road)

Back-to-backs: 7/31 vs. SEA, 8/1 @ LV

Notes: We will never talk enough about how much Sancho Lyttle’s torn ACL impacts what this team is as a title contender. The reserves up front have disappointed, though, which stems back to the decision to sign then waive second round pick Raisa Musina without waiting to bring her over despite having a roster spot available. Though they have not made the data available, Phoenix is a team presumed to be all but capped out. Their big three has been tremendous all season. The Mercury close with a five-game homestand — they’ll need that trio to continue to dominate to capitalize on that stretch.

Seattle Storm

Games this month: 7 (3 home, 4 road)

Back-to-backs: 8/6 @ NY, 8/7 @ IND

Notes: Seattle looks better on both ends, the numbers back it up, and a small gamble, from their standpoint, on Natasha Howard has paid off more than many of us imagined. Most important of all, though: The Storm are closing games. The starting five has been fantastic, including Alysha Clark, who’s positioned herself to earn an All-Defense nod and is currently shooting 43.9 percent from deep.

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Washington Mystics

Games this month: 8 (4 home, 4 road)

Back-to-backs:

Notes: Breanna Stewart making every single one of her two-pointers is too much to keep up with if it sustains, but Elena Delle Donne has been fantastic. This roster is built around her — a few bigs that can shoot it and a bunch of wing-sized bodies that can do a bunch of stuff well, but are best when somebody else first helps by giving them a head start. No. 7 overall pick Ariel Atkins has really popped, giving Kristi Toliver some help as another potential source of shot creation to keep them from becoming too one-dimensional.

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